Nerdy Workout Review – Catwoman

I’m on to my fourth nerdy workout, and I’m still managing to avoid doing any sort of jumping. The day will be upon me soon though, because most of the other workouts I’ve found contain jumping, and some of them even have burpees. The horror. I can guarantee that when I eventually have to do the burpees, it will be the time in my life when I am at my most miserable.

This week I attempted the Catwoman workout. I associate Catwoman with being nimble and elegant, which are two words nobody has ever used to describe me. I executed this workout with all the grace and finesse that I usually possess – which is none – and I think this 20 minute workout genuinely may have contained some of the least dignified moments of my life. I’m very glad I am attempting these in my own home, with the curtains closed, and not out in public where other, more graceful humans might see me.

Courtesy of Neila Rey

How many sets did I do: Four. Again, this was mainly down to the time I had. The workout suggests 10 sets, but doing that many reps would get tedious very quickly.

Peak heart rate during workout: 117, which is really low. I’m not even sure that counts as cardio, I reckon I can get my heart rate up to 117 just considering the prospect of getting out of a chair.

Easiest exercise: The clamshells were the easiest, although I suspect this is probably because I was doing them completely wrong. I did them four times and I could not figure out what the point of them was, they didn’t seem to be working any muscles, certainly not ones that I own anyway. Perhaps the purpose they serve is to give you a lovely little lie down in the middle of the workout.

Hardest exercise: The side planks with rotations were the hardest. I would love to see a video of me doing these, because I have an idea it would look like I was drowning in an imaginary sea on my bedroom floor, whilst flailing my arms in the air for assistance.

Next day? I didn’t really feel it anywhere the next day. I was expecting to maybe have some stiffness in my arms or my abs, but I leapt out of bed (OK, maybe not leapt) without any aches or pains at all.

Playlist highlights: My iPhone threw out two stone-cold classics in the form of The Chain by Fleetwood Mac and Here Comes Your Man by Pixies, and then showed itself up as a wannabe emo by choosing Time to Dance by Panic! At the Disco, and about three Fall Out Boy songs in a row. And yes, I know I’m throwing shade at my phone for songs I added to a playlist myself…

Difficulty rating: 6/10. This one wasn’t that hard, but it also didn’t really feel like it was doing much for me.

Hero rating: 2/10. I didn’t feel very much like an arch villain doing this workout. Some of the exercises did feel vaguely feline, like the donkey kicks and the bridges, but overall this routine was kind of dull, a bit like (dare I say it?) a Batman* movie…